It took Sara almost an hour to straighten up the office again after Parker left. Somehow, every single piece of paper had ended up on the floor.

Still, she was smiling and humming as she finished the task.

When the evening crew came in, she kept busy and time flew by. Before she knew it, it was closing time and she was locking up again. This time, however, she carefully went through the building, making sure she was alone before heading back to the office. Still, she couldn’t stop the shivers as she walked by the freezer.

Even after she’d noticed what Parker had done to the door, she had an eerie feeling as she walked by it. She had avoided going in it the entire day but tomorrow she would force herself to man up.

Parker was going to pick her up again tonight. She’d tried talking him out of it, since her Jeep had sat in the parking lot for two nights now, but he was persistent. She figured when he arrived, she could talk him into allowing her to follow him back to his place that night.

She was excited to see Toby again, which was why they were staying at his place. She had a bag of clothes in his truck.

She was just finishing up the newest budget report with her suggestions for Iian when she heard a strange noise coming from outside.

She glanced down at her watch and frowned. It was half an hour before Parker was due to arrive.

Maybe he’d arrived early, after last night’s excitement. She shut down her computer and pulled her bag out of the bottom drawer. Locking the office, she followed the sound and stepped out the back door.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust in the darkness. When the door shut behind her, the sound stopped.

“Parker?” she called out. When the area remained silent, she started walking around to the front of the building as she pulled out her cell phone. She heard the noise again and realized it was coming from the large trash container.

Probably an animal scrounging for food. She turned on her cell phone’s flashlight and made her way across the parking lot. The noise stopped again, and she tiptoed the rest of the way, not wanting the animal to jump out at her and scare her.

She was less than five feet from the massive dumpster when headlights flashed on her, causing her to jump slightly.

“What are you doing out here?” Parker asked, pulling up beside her.

She smiled as Toby tried to poke his head out of Parker’s open window. Parker tried shoving him back, but the dog wasn’t having it.

She patted him on the head and was about to lean in for a kiss from Parker, when Toby let out a low growl. Before either of them could respond, the dog jumped out of the open window and took off across the parking lot towards the back of the dumpster.

“What the…” Parker threw his truck into park and jumped out to chase his dog. “Stay put,” he called over his shoulder.

Trying not to think about Toby catching whatever animal was digging through the trash, she climbed into the truck and waited.

Less than ten minutes later, Parker came back to the truck, pulling Toby along with him. The look on Parker’s face made her smile fall.

“Is Toby okay?” Worry flooded her thoughts.

“Yeah. Would you mind keeping him in with you? I need to call this in.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Someone broke into our supply trailer and messed with some equipment.”

“Oh no.” She scooted over and let Toby jump in beside her. “Do you need me to—”

She stopped when he shook his head. “No, I’ve got this. I’ve already called Donny, my foreman. He’s on his way down.”

Toby was excited to see her and spent the next few minutes trying to climb into her lap and lick her face. Finally, when he settled down, she glanced around the dark parking lot in hopes of seeing Parker.

When another truck pulled up beside them, she waved at Donny, whom she’d seen working on the light switches earlier that day.

When he jumped out of the truck, Parker was there. She rolled the window down, trying to hear them, but Toby stuck his nose out to the night air and drooled over the glass. Not wanting the dog to jump out again, she rolled up the window.

The men disappeared behind the dumpster just as the police cruiser pulled in.

Robert Brogan and Aiden were made from the same mold. With the exception of Robert’s silver hair and laugh lines, the father and son looked almost identical.

She waved to him as he passed the truck. Parker stepped out and waved him back.

For the next twenty minutes, she remained locked up with Toby in the truck. When the dog started whining, she wondered when he’d last relieved himself. Seeing his leash, she clipped it on him and narrowed her eyes at him.

“You’re not going to drag me around, are you?”

The dog stared at her, then let out another whine. He looked at her with his big brown eyes and begged to be let out.

“If you tug me, I’ll never walk with you again,” she warned gently.

Opening the door, she slid one leg out. Before she could put both feet on the ground, Toby had jumped down and was nudging her towards where the men had disappeared.

There was a grassy spot behind the dumpster Toby could use, so she made her way back there.

When she saw the mess that greeted her, she gasped, causing all three men to turn towards her.

The dog did his business quickly, then tried to get attention from the men.

“I had hoped we could have this cleaned up before you saw it,” Parker said, taking Toby’s leash from her hands.

They were standing next to the large container that held all of the tools and supplies that Parker and his men were using to fix up the Oar.

Tools were scattered on the ground, equipment was tossed around, and a bunch of two-by-fours lay broken and splintered on the ground.

“Are you okay?” Parker finally asked her.

“Me?” She turned towards him. “It’s not my stuff lying all over the place, destroyed.”

“No, but…” He nodded to the back of the trailer. The doors were half shut, and just as Robert pointed his flashlight, she got a glimpse of why Parker had been concerned.

There, spray-painted on the back of the trailer in dark black letters, it said, “The bitch will get none of it.”

“You think that whoever did this meant me?” She turned to Parker. “Why?”

He shrugged. “It was Robert’s idea.”

“Parker told us about what happened last night,” Robert started.

“I locked myself in a freezer. Stupid move, but not criminal.” Her eyes returned to the lettering.

“Sara.” Parker took her shoulder with his free hand, since Toby was getting attention from Donny at the moment. “There wasn’t any way you could’ve been locked in without someone putting the U-shaped bar in place. Someone locked you in there, on purpose.”

She let his words sink in. Part of her had known. After all, not one other employee had ever been locked in there. She knew that was why Parker had ground down the two loops.

Parker wrapped his arms around her. “Go back to the truck. We’ll clean this up.”

She shook her head. “I… I’m going to drive myself home,” she said under her breath.

He gently pulled her a few feet away from the others, dragging Toby with him.

“I’d rather you stay put. Robert called your parents. Your dad is on his way here.”

“My…?” Her eyes narrowed in Robert’s direction. “Fine, they can take me home.”

“Sara, I wanted…” Just then, a car pulled into the parking lot, causing Parker to sigh. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He walked with her back to the parking lot and helped Toby jump back up into his truck. He waved at her parents and watched them drive away.

Sara tried to keep her eyes dry until after they were out of the parking lot.

“What happened?” her dad asked when they were on their way.

“Nothing.” She settled into the leather seat and closed her eyes, feeling defeated. She was too tired and embarrassed that all of this would get back to Iian. She was ruined.

Her father turned to her after parking in front of the house. “Sweetie.” Her father’s hand went up and covered her hair, holding her face until she turned towards him. With his thumb, he wiped a tear away from her cheek. “Iian doesn’t need to know everything.” He winked at her.

She lunged towards her dad and held on as she cried again.

* * *

Parker was pissed. All the tools were accounted for and while they would need a new load of lumber, that was no big deal. Most of the damage done had been to Sara.

Who would have done something like this? The sheriff had been quick to defend his son and assured him that he had been with them all night.

With the obvious culprit off the list, he had no fresh leads. He toiled over it as he helped Donny clean up.

“I’ll stop by the lumberyard first thing tomorrow to replace what was damaged,” Donny said, tossing the discarded wood into the dumpster next to the trailer. “We’ll need a new lock.”

“I have one in my truck.” He pulled it out of his glove box and noticed that Toby was fast asleep curled up on the driver’s side. “This will have to do until I can get another one.”

“I’ll pick one up tomorrow,” Donny said. “As far as it goes, we lucked out. All of the tools were here and undamaged.”

He nodded. If any of the equipment had been stolen, it would have set him back in not only money, but time. Some of the equipment had to be purchased in the city, since the hardware store in town didn’t carry the bigger stuff.

“Well, see you tomorrow. I hope your lady didn’t get too upset over all this. It’s probably just kids or an ex.” He shrugged. “My ex-wife stalked me for a while, until she found a new man.”

He drove home with Toby’s head resting in his lap. He was going to be lonely without Sara next to him in his bed.

He thought about driving by her place but she was probably staying at her parents’ house for the night. So, instead, he crawled into bed with Toby and got a few hours of sleep before his alarm went off.

When he arrived at the restaurant the next morning, he was surprised to see Sara’s brother, Matt, dropping her off until he remembered that her Jeep was still parked in the same spot it had been in for two days.

Parking beside Matt’s shiny car, he jumped out and opened Sara’s door. She had a carrier full of coffee cups and a box of what he hoped were donuts.

“Morning,” he said cheerfully.

She smiled up at him. “Morning,” she said back, a little too cheerfully. He could tell that she had gotten as much sleep as he had.

“Thanks, Matt. See you tonight.” She shut the door and waved as her brother drove away.

He took the container of coffee cups from her and walked with her towards the front door.

“What’s tonight?” he asked, after she’d opened the door and flipped on the lights.

“Wow, this is a lot easier.” She nodded towards the simple light switches.

He smiled. “Changing the subject?” He set the coffee down on the bar.

“Maybe.” She opened the box of donuts. “Matt stopped by Sara’s Nook and I thought your guys would like some coffee and donuts.”

He grabbed a donut and a cup, then leaned closer, blocking her from leaving. “Tonight?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “My parents would like to formally extend an invitation to you for dinner tonight.”

“What time?” He smiled when he noticed her cheeks turning pink.

“Seven.”

“What time do you get off?”

“Five.” She smiled. “I moved things around so Damion will close up tonight.” She reached into the box and grabbed a donut for herself. He watched her nibble it and was mesmerized.

“I’ll be there,” he said softly as he took a sip of the liquid to try and cool himself down.

“Good.” She ducked around him with a chuckle. “See you then.”

“Sara.” He stopped her before she walked out. “We’ll need to talk about this.”

Instead of answering, she nodded slightly and left.

He committed himself fully to his work, letting his mind clear as he pounded away at the stones. Within an hour the rest of the stones were down, and they were left with the bare bones of the fireplace. It took the rest of the day for him and another crew member to haul out the heavy pieces. Meanwhile, the rest of his team worked on tearing out the back wall, which would become the entrance to the new deck overlooking the waterfront.

He had eaten his lunch with the rest of the crew since Sara had gone out to run errands during his break.

It was almost as if she was avoiding him and he was determined to get in her way as much as he could. At some point, they were going to talk about her safety. And he wanted her thoughts on who could have left the message last night.

When he finished cleaning up for the day, he went to search for her with no luck. He ran home, took Toby for a run on the beach, then showered. When he was done, it was time to head to Sara’s folks’ place.

He hated wearing ties but took one in the truck with him just in case he decided when he got there he wanted one.

He couldn’t count the times he’d met a woman’s parents, starting way back in junior high when he’d asked Darcy Robins to his first dance. As he parked his truck behind Sara’s Jeep, his palms were as sweaty as they had been back then.

It didn’t make him feel any more relaxed knowing he had already met them. He sat in his truck, the engine off, staring at the massive place in front of him.

The large white two-story house had beautiful flowers surrounding it in neatly kept flower beds. The house itself was in perfect condition with long green shutters on either side of the picture windows that lined the front of the house. There was a long porch with cozy chairs and a bench swing.

The front door was painted bright red and had stained-glass windows on either side.

He was sitting in the truck debating if he wanted to strap on the tie or not when a light knock on his window jolted him.

Sara chuckled as he opened the door.

“Sorry,” she said. His eyes ran over her and he decided the tie wasn’t needed and tossed it on the seat next to him before jumping out.

She was wearing an old pair of faded jeans, open-toe sandals, and a flowing cream top. He imagined in the right light, the top would be see-through.

Leaning in, he gave her a soft kiss before she could move away from him.

“There.” He smiled down at her, taking her hand in his. “Now I won’t be kicking myself all the way through the meal for not doing that.”

They walked up the front stairs together, but she stopped him before reaching the door.

“My family…” She sighed. “They…”

“Relax,” he said, realizing she was just as nervous as he was. “I’ve met both your mom and dad before.”

“You have?” Her eyes narrowed, and he realized his mistake too late.

“I ran into them in town one day,” he quickly recovered.

“Oh.” She frowned a little. “I’m sorry if they did or said anything—”

He leaned in again and kissed her. This time, however, she pushed her body against his and wrapped her arms around him. He sank into the kiss, losing himself in the feeling of her against his body.

Neither of them heard when the front door opened, but they did hear when someone cleared their throat directly beside them.

Parker jumped away from Sara, almost falling over backwards.

Matt stood leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest as he chuckled.

“It’s a good thing I was the one who opened the door instead of Dad,” Matt joked.

“Dad knows I kiss boys,” Sara said easily, walking past her brother.

Parker was left standing there, facing her brother, unsure of his next move.

Thankfully, Matt reached out his hand and gave him a smile. “Well, come on in. I know I could use a beer.”

Parker relaxed and shook the man’s hand. Matt glanced behind him. “You didn’t bring Toby?”

He smiled. “No, he’s still mad at me for letting the doctor do unthinkable things to his manhood.”

Matt chuckled. “Responsible pet owner. I can see why my folks like you.”

He walked through the front door and glanced around.

A beautiful dark wood curved staircase sat directly in the entryway. A large chandelier hung from the top floor over the staircase.

French doors sat on either side of the hallway. He followed Matt down the hallway towards the back of the house, passing a cozy study on one side and a formal dining room with a maple table already set for dinner on the other side.

He stopped just inside the doorway to the kitchen. Matt walked over to the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers and handed one to him. Parker noticed that Sara’s father was already sipping one as he leaned against the counter, one arm wrapped over his daughter’s shoulders.

Sara’s mom, Megan, stood at an oversized white stove, stirring something that smelled delicious.

“Hope you like Corona, since we’re having chicken enchiladas. My mom likes to keep the entire meal in sync.” Matt chuckled.

He took a swallow and nodded. “I’m not picky when it comes to free food.” He smiled at Sara. “And good company.”

“Kiss up,” Matt said softly before taking a drink of his beer.

“Leave him alone.” Sara walked over to the fridge and pulled out her own beer. “I hear he’ll be working for you on your new house.” He could tell that Sara had meant to start something, since her eyes darted between her parents and her brother.

“You’re too late, kiddo.” Matt smiled. “They already know and approve.”

Sara frowned and walked over to where he stood.

“Approve, yes. Agree that it was a good choice to buy a home that’s falling in on itself, no,” Todd added.

“Parker’s going to help me fix it up. Besides, I’ll bet it has a solid foundation.”

“I’ll know more during the inspection,” Parker added.

“You’ll let me know if there’s anything… off,” Todd said to him.

“I’ll have a complete list of repairs needed.”

“Which he will then give to the owner of the home,” Matt warned. “It’s my business what needs to be done, not yours.”

Todd walked over and wrapped an arm around his son. “Just because you are old enough to buy a home on your own doesn’t mean I will ever stop worrying about you.”

“Why don’t we move this into the dining room? The food is ready,” Megan said, pulling a pan of enchiladas out of the oven. “Matt, you can help me take all this in. Everyone else, go on in.”

Over dinner, he watched the family very closely and realized he had never really had a family before. His grandmother had tried, but it took more than what she could have ever given him. Part of him was jealous of what Matt and Sara had grown up having. Part of him longed to make this for himself and in his imagination, it was Sara he was building that family with.